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Wall Street Journal Confirms FCC Investigation of Google Street View Following EPIC Complaint
The Wall Street Journal reported today that the Federal Communications Commission has opened an investigation into Google's secretive interception and collection of wifi data collection. This occurred in thirty countries over a three year period and is linked to Google "Street View" vehicles which many thought simply captured digital images. In May, EPIC filed a complaint with the Commission, asking it to investigate Google's possible violations of federal wiretap law and the U.S. Communications Act. Investigations in other countries have revealed that Google secretly collected passwords, email, and sensitive medical data from millions of Internet users, and also built an extensive database of personal information associated with private residential wifi routers. The Federal Trade Commission recently ended its inquiry into Google Street View, even though members of Congress had urged a comprehensive investigation. For more information, see EPIC - Investigation of Google Street View.